Copyright 2006 Angela Carter
GPS stands for Global Positioning System and was initially designed to be used by the U.S. military and is operated by the U.S. Defense Department. This system consists of 24 satellites, these satellites are 12,000 miles above us, are constantly moving in a precise orbit, have an atomic clock, and are solar powered. They do have a battery backup so they will continue to run in the event of a solar eclipse, and each satellites has a small rocket booster to maintain their orbit. The first satellite was launched in 1978 and it wasn't until 1994 when there were a total of 24 satellites. Each satellite has a life expectancy of about 10 years, so new satellites are constantly being built and launched. Each satellite weighs about 2,000 pounds and is approximately 17 feet in width when the solar panels are extended. In the 1980s the GPS became available to the public, and although it is still maintain by the U.S. Defense Department there is no charge for its usage by the public.
These 24 satellites orbit the earth twice a day and continuously sends the location of the satellite. A GPS system can tell how far a satellite is away by comparing the time difference between the time a signal was transmitted and the time it was received, the longer it takes the signal to be received by a receiver, the farther away the satellite is. If a GPS is receiving signals from three satellites it can calculate latitude and longitude. Altitude can be determined if the GPS is receiving signals from four satellites.
GPS can be used for navigating your car through traffic day-to-day or tracking a fleet of vehicles. Not only can a driver use a GPS for directions the main office knows where that vehicle is and the speed of the vehicle. GPS can be used while on vacation for activities such as hiking, camping, or hunting. Is your passion fishing but get frustrated trying to find the fish? With a fish finder which uses both GPS technology and sonar you'll know exactly where to go to find those fish. GPS technology is also being used as a way to track your pet if he wanders off or to safeguard a pet from being stolen.
Another use for GPS is as a child finder with a receiver in a child's cell phone or wristwatch to ensure a child's safety. It can be used in a teenager's car in order to both know where they and how fast they are driving. This could also be used to keep track of someone who tends to 'roam' but is not capable enough to find there way back; i.e. someone with Alzheimer's disease.
As GPS technology improves, it uses will increase. Who knows where it will take us next?
Source: http://www.postarticles.com/Article/What-is-GPS-and-how-can-it-be-used-/21403
Saturday, February 23, 2008
GPS technology and child safety
Copyright 2006 Angela Carter
What parent has had that moment of fright when the child who was just at your side is gone? Usually the child has seen something of interest and just gone to investigate, or has gotten separated in a crowd, such as being at a carnival, and although it may only two seconds to locate your child, it feels like two years and when you do find them your heart is racing, your hands are shaking and you don't know whether to hug them or scold them.
The possibility of someone taking our child is a real fear every parent carries with them. Just pick up a newspaper or watch the evening news and reports of children being kidnapped or abducted are constant and the heartbreak of the parents is just so overwhelming. Now what if there was a technology that could find that child instantly?
GPS technology is now being used to help keep track of children and allow parents to know where their child is at all times. These devices are usually small enough to fit anywhere-backpack, pants or coat pocket, etc. and lightweight enough not to be burdensome. Some of these have pre-programmable buttons so the child can keep in touch with their parents or call for help if necessary.
These devices range from tracking devices that will beep until the child is found, to cell phones with GPS technology installed, to watches that if forcibly removed will automatically activate. There are even backpacks available with GPS technology installed. Some of these will activate if the child is too far away from the parent. And there is even one that is implanted in a shoe.
Of course the main problems with these are the child is going to lose them, or if the child is abducted they can easily be disposed of. I can envision the day when it will be possible to have a GPS transmitter implanted in a child via an injection or some other simple manner.
There are other concerns also. Are only children with parents who can afford this technology are going to benefit. Is this going to increase the number of lower class children, whose parents can't afford this new technology, being abducted? Will someone, such as a child molester or kidnapper, find a way to use a child's transmitter signal to locate the child? Also how are our children to adjust to the fact that they are constantly being monitored?
How secure are our children going to feel knowing that the world is so dangerous that their parents need to know where they are at all times? Are we stripping a part of their childhood away from them? Who doesn't remember, as a kid, going somewhere you knew your parents didn't want you to go, but as children we are adventurers, and if we got into trouble or got 'caught' being where we shouldn't be, we more than likely not only got punished but also learned a lesson. We grow and mature by making mistakes and learning from them, are we going to take part of this education away from our children? At what age do we stop? Do we continue to monitor them through their teen-age years? A time that can be the hardest time of any child's or parents life, it's a time where a teenager needs to mature and a parent needs to learn to 'let go' and allow the child to learn on their own-mistakes and all.
Although this technology has some very great qualities in the protection of our children, the possibility of abusing this technology must also be addressed. We all want our children to be safe, yet at the same time they must be allowed to grow to become functional adults.
Source: http://www.postarticles.com/Article/GPS-technology-and-child-safety/22043
What parent has had that moment of fright when the child who was just at your side is gone? Usually the child has seen something of interest and just gone to investigate, or has gotten separated in a crowd, such as being at a carnival, and although it may only two seconds to locate your child, it feels like two years and when you do find them your heart is racing, your hands are shaking and you don't know whether to hug them or scold them.
The possibility of someone taking our child is a real fear every parent carries with them. Just pick up a newspaper or watch the evening news and reports of children being kidnapped or abducted are constant and the heartbreak of the parents is just so overwhelming. Now what if there was a technology that could find that child instantly?
GPS technology is now being used to help keep track of children and allow parents to know where their child is at all times. These devices are usually small enough to fit anywhere-backpack, pants or coat pocket, etc. and lightweight enough not to be burdensome. Some of these have pre-programmable buttons so the child can keep in touch with their parents or call for help if necessary.
These devices range from tracking devices that will beep until the child is found, to cell phones with GPS technology installed, to watches that if forcibly removed will automatically activate. There are even backpacks available with GPS technology installed. Some of these will activate if the child is too far away from the parent. And there is even one that is implanted in a shoe.
Of course the main problems with these are the child is going to lose them, or if the child is abducted they can easily be disposed of. I can envision the day when it will be possible to have a GPS transmitter implanted in a child via an injection or some other simple manner.
There are other concerns also. Are only children with parents who can afford this technology are going to benefit. Is this going to increase the number of lower class children, whose parents can't afford this new technology, being abducted? Will someone, such as a child molester or kidnapper, find a way to use a child's transmitter signal to locate the child? Also how are our children to adjust to the fact that they are constantly being monitored?
How secure are our children going to feel knowing that the world is so dangerous that their parents need to know where they are at all times? Are we stripping a part of their childhood away from them? Who doesn't remember, as a kid, going somewhere you knew your parents didn't want you to go, but as children we are adventurers, and if we got into trouble or got 'caught' being where we shouldn't be, we more than likely not only got punished but also learned a lesson. We grow and mature by making mistakes and learning from them, are we going to take part of this education away from our children? At what age do we stop? Do we continue to monitor them through their teen-age years? A time that can be the hardest time of any child's or parents life, it's a time where a teenager needs to mature and a parent needs to learn to 'let go' and allow the child to learn on their own-mistakes and all.
Although this technology has some very great qualities in the protection of our children, the possibility of abusing this technology must also be addressed. We all want our children to be safe, yet at the same time they must be allowed to grow to become functional adults.
Source: http://www.postarticles.com/Article/GPS-technology-and-child-safety/22043
Best Handheld Devices In The Market
They are here to make your life better and convenient. Yes! We are talking about the best of handheld devices that are available in the market. Let it be finding your way through the woods or storing your precious data, these devices can handle the job better than any other conventional way of doing so.
That is not all, this is done by a device that can easily fit in your palm and slide in your pocket. These new age tools have added an altogether new dimension to our lives and it is not an exaggeration that within the small period of time, they have made themselves irreplaceable.
Today, the PDA device or the digital organizer is an integral part of our day to day life not forgetting about the useful handheld GPS devices that helps us to find any location within few clicks.
Let's learn more about the best of these devices that are functional and have eased our lives to a great extent. The first that comes to mind is a PDA or Personal Digital Assistant. In a nutshell the PDA device can be called as a "smart" pocket computer.
The handheld PDA devices are completely functional devices that offer portable electronic productivity and entertainment that come in several sizes with varying capabilities. They range varies from basic devices typically used to look up appointments and phone numbers to more advanced units that play music and videos or connect you to the Web.
With the advance of technology, the most significant trend in the present time is the use of such devices for communication via wired or wireless networks. A handheld PDA device gives you the much sought after freedom to access important data without geographical limitations, and with convenience.
That is why the this device is very much popular among those who have to spend most time out of the office and carrying a laptop every time is not a possibility. In fact, considering some occasions, you will find that a PDA is more useful as it is handy and can be carried in the pocket. A handheld PDA is even more useful with some of its interesting features like handwriting recognition software, which makes using it convenient.
On the other hand, a handheld GPS device offers navigational help and is really handy for outdoor adventure like camping, hiking, mountain biking, etc. Although a handheld GPS device is meant to help you navigate with the help of a satellite, most of them slide down in your pocket and provide you with the essential features, which are useful for more than finding directions.
One of the features of this unit is the UTM grid data maps or local grid maps. Many of the handheld GPS devices have multi-parallel channels to ensure that several satellites are tracking you at one time rather than just one.
Source: http://www.pcwriters.com/Article/Best-Handheld-Devices-In-The-Market/99808
That is not all, this is done by a device that can easily fit in your palm and slide in your pocket. These new age tools have added an altogether new dimension to our lives and it is not an exaggeration that within the small period of time, they have made themselves irreplaceable.
Today, the PDA device or the digital organizer is an integral part of our day to day life not forgetting about the useful handheld GPS devices that helps us to find any location within few clicks.
Let's learn more about the best of these devices that are functional and have eased our lives to a great extent. The first that comes to mind is a PDA or Personal Digital Assistant. In a nutshell the PDA device can be called as a "smart" pocket computer.
The handheld PDA devices are completely functional devices that offer portable electronic productivity and entertainment that come in several sizes with varying capabilities. They range varies from basic devices typically used to look up appointments and phone numbers to more advanced units that play music and videos or connect you to the Web.
With the advance of technology, the most significant trend in the present time is the use of such devices for communication via wired or wireless networks. A handheld PDA device gives you the much sought after freedom to access important data without geographical limitations, and with convenience.
That is why the this device is very much popular among those who have to spend most time out of the office and carrying a laptop every time is not a possibility. In fact, considering some occasions, you will find that a PDA is more useful as it is handy and can be carried in the pocket. A handheld PDA is even more useful with some of its interesting features like handwriting recognition software, which makes using it convenient.
On the other hand, a handheld GPS device offers navigational help and is really handy for outdoor adventure like camping, hiking, mountain biking, etc. Although a handheld GPS device is meant to help you navigate with the help of a satellite, most of them slide down in your pocket and provide you with the essential features, which are useful for more than finding directions.
One of the features of this unit is the UTM grid data maps or local grid maps. Many of the handheld GPS devices have multi-parallel channels to ensure that several satellites are tracking you at one time rather than just one.
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Source: http://www.pcwriters.com/Article/Best-Handheld-Devices-In-The-Market/99808
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